Dutch MPs have voted to ban online slots and gambling advertising. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

MPs in the Netherlands have voted to ban online slots. If that wasn’t enough to put fear into the hearts of iGaming operators focused on the area, officials have also voted in favor of banning online gambling advertising in the country, including targeted ads.

MPs voted on 114 motions over the course of last week. Only ten of those were adopted following votes on Tuesday in the country’s House of Representatives, including the two aforementioned gambling measures. MPs also voted for mandatory financial risk checks related to gambling.

Socialist party MP Michiel van Nispen was responsible for both gambling related motions, including the ban on games considered “high-risk,” which includes online slots. He defined these as games in which success was left down to chance. A majority of 79 MPs voted to ban them.

MP support does not mean the measures will become law.

Now, there is still hope for online slot enthusiasts in the Netherlands. MP support does not mean the measures will become law. The motions will now go to the Minister for Legal Protection in the Netherlands, Franc Weerwind. Although he is in favor of responsible gambling, he has never expressed a wish to curtail the industry further after introducing reforms in 2023.  

When he introduced his previous measures last year, which included requirements for operators to contact players who set deposit limits, Weerwind made clear that he thinks Dutch residents should have the option to play. “Everyone who wants to do so should be able to play a game of chance responsibly,” he said. We will have to wait and see if he sticks to this.